Ivan de Almeida

Ivan de Almeida has had a long career as a character actor in Brazilian film and television. He is best recognized internationally for his role in the 2003 prison drama Carandiru (directed by Hector Babenco), where he played "Nego Preto." Other notable works include, Scars (2006), Irmãos Coragem (TV series), A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga (2011), Lúcio Flávio (1977). In 1978, he starred in Black Goddess (A Deusa Negra), a historical drama written and directed by pioneering Nigerian filmmaker Ola Balogun. The film was a rare, groundbreaking co-production between Nigeria and Brazil. It tells the story of a contemporary Nigerian man traveling to Brazil to fulfill a promise to his dying grandfather to trace their family's ancestral roots back to 18th-century Yorubaland. His work spans several decades, primarily in Brazilian productions, often in supporting or character roles.